Monday, September 29, 2014

One of the main factors for Urban Pollution and Unhygienic Conditions, is the Household Waste / Garbage / Litter thrown away indiscriminately.

What is Waste/Garbage/Litter?

We talk of "Throwing Away" the items that are considered to be no longer useful or needed- wrappers, plastic bags, paper, empty bottles/ jars / cans, used electronic/ electrical items & other items used in our daily life, the kitchen waste, left overs of food etc. One, who carelessly "Throws Away" things considered to be of no use, causes Littering.

The nature takes care of Waste Material what is natural (Biodegradable).What we need to worry about is the Waste (Non-degradable) created by man made items. No matter how small, each man made item leaves behind a trail of wastes at every stage of its Life-Cycle.

What is Thrown Away Comes Back !

The fact of life is that all we "Through Away" as waste, ends up ultimately polluting Air, Water & Soil, adversely affecting the very "Food Cycle" & Quality of our Lives. That is where this "AWAY" ends up finally. The Waste cannot be wished Away as there isNo Away.

How can we be Part of "Swachh Bharat" ( Clean India) ?

The items being thrown away from our households as waste, consist of Paper, Plastic Bags, Packing Material, Foils, Cans, Glass / Plastic Containers, Electrical / Electronic items etc. (Dry Waste). As all these items can be Recycled for salvaging and making new products with value addition, they should not be subjected to "Throw Away".

The old News Papers, Note Books & Magazines and used paper should be neatly stacked & stored for disposing off once a month or so. Similarly, all "Dry Waste", instead of putting into the Dust Bin, should be stored separately in a gunny sack or container and handed over once in a week / fortnight to the Person picking up the garbage. The electrical / electronic wastes should be deposited at the designated centers for the purpose.

Only the biodegradable "Wet Garbage" containing Kitchen Waste, Food Items, Flowers erc. - should find their way to "Dust Bin" for Daily Collection. This avoids the volume of garbage to be picked up & transported daily and the harmful Land Fills & Littering.

Let us do our bit for making "Swachh Bharat Mission" being launched on Birth Day of Mahatma Gandhi ( Father of the Nation ), 2 nd October 2014, a Success &Reality !

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The alarming levels and magnitude of corruption on Indian Roads, by the concerned enforcement agencies is being widely talked about and an open secret. On Indian Roads, the Truckers often pay bribe for lack of proper and valid documents, overloading, violations including rash driving. A study conducted by Centre for Media Studies across a dozen major transport hubs covering over 1,200 truck drivers, is reported to have revealed that in 60% cases, the Police and the Officials from Enforcing Agencies extort money from Truckers by stopping them without giving a reason. It is also revealed that around 90% of the bribe goes to Policemen and Transport department personnel. The study estimated the total bribe amount on Roads to be close to Rs. 22,000 crore every year.

Modus Operandi

According to the findings of the study, which was conducted at transport hubs including Ludhiana, Delhi, Ahmadabad, Indore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Vijayawada, Bangalore and Chennai, illegal tokens, passes and stickers valid for a period of month are issued by these government agencies to allow vehicles to pass without checks. In many cases, the concerned government officials are found to use holograms on bribe receipts to distinguish "original" from "fake" and the code words like "April Fool, May Day and Independence Day" and mobile phones to convey the "links".

Harassment by Police & Transport Depts.

The findings — based on the surveyors interaction with drivers, fleet operators and law enforcing agencies — also exposed how trucks and commercial heavy vehicles were the punching bags for enforcement agencies. Drivers claimed that in 12% cases, authorities challan Truckers even when there is no overloading. They said harassment by police and transport department officials were the two major irritants for drivers on roads. While 77% of them felt Police were the biggest irritant, 73% said it was harassment by Transport Department officials.

Bribe for Non- Compliance & Speed Money

However, Drivers and Truck operators admitted that they paid bribe for failing to meet norms or to get things done quickly. They conceded that the major reasons for paying bribe at transport department offices were getting registration and fitness certificates besides getting and renewing permits. On roads, truckers often pay bribe for lack of proper and valid documents, overloading, violations including rash driving. They also said that by paying bribe, they avoided hassles in physical verification of goods.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Every day hundreds of people are dying in Road Accidents but they get unnoticed or ignored.The sudden and tragic death of Shri Gopinath Munde, Hon'ble Minister for Rural Development, GOI, in the Road Accident right in New Delhi, highlighted lack of Road Safety on Indian roads

The Planning Commission Member, Shri B.K. Chaturvedi while inaugurating a regional conference on "Road Safety Strategy" organized by International Road Foundation (IRF). In October 2011, is reported to have said that Road Accident deaths and injuries cost India at least Rs.1 lakh crore per year, and the Govt. aims to reduce them by 50% by 2020.

India seems to have dubious distinction of registering maximum number of road accident deaths annually, with reported death of 125,660 people and another 515,458 receiving severe or minor injuries in Road Accidents during 2009. An estimated 160,000 people were understood to have been killed in Road accidents in 2010.

The experts on Road Safety feel that the number of accidents and deaths in road accidents reported are less than the actual figures due to lack of scientific data collection. The Road Accidents are serious issues, but little attention is being paid to this. Experts also feel that while annually the Nation loses almost 1.5% of its GDP on account of Road Accidents, not even10% of that amount is being spent to make our roads safe. While pushing construction of National Highways to accelerate infrastructure growth, the focus should also be on making Roads Safe.

Monday, April 14, 2014

The Delivery System of the Revenue and Police Departments in particular, at the Grass Roots (Mandal/Tahasil) level, is managed or mismanaged by Tahasildar and Police Inspector. They can either deprive or bestow the Right to Property and Life for a price unchallenged, particularly in remote rural areas. All others at State, Division and District Levels appear to be superfluous and wasteful, as they do not seem to be accountable for monitoring & ensuring that the Delivery Mechanism at the Mandal level functions smoothly & satisfactorily.

Unfortunately, the delivery systems, be it Revenue, Police ,Panchayat Raj , Rural Development, Tribal Development, Forest, Health, Education, Irrigation, Power, Roads etc. Departments, at the Mandal level have become the channels for draining out the public funds, meant for well intended projects like REGS, LWE, Rural Water Supply etc. The District Collector , who is supposed to supervise & govern the functioning and monitor the performance of about more than 50 activities /departments/committees , does not seem to have full grasp of some of them, leave alone controlling and governing them.

The painful conclusion is that the Delivery Systems at the Grass Roots level are indifferent / insensitive, unresponsive and ineffective. Secondly there is no Good Governance, particularly at the District Level--- Responsive, Transparent, Accountable, Effective & Efficient, and Rule of Law-- and Thirdly, there are no independent Regulating / Monitoring Agencies which can act and function without the interference of NETA / BABU nexus. Without these, Jan Lokpal Bill will not make any differenceandthe Corruption will continue to spread like cancer, harming the well being of the Nation.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Economic development has been the byword in our Country’s progress in the competitive global market of the 21 st century. But the country is paying an enormous price for much hyped progress which has brought in its wake ecological devastation and numerous health problems, particularly to the vulnerable sections of the society.

Water quality degradation results in the highest health toll accounting for health costs worth thousands of Crores of Rupees a year. In all most all our cities, Air Pollution levels exceed WHO recommended health standards. The levels are getting worse year by year, because of ever increasing urban population, inadequate public transportation, growing number of automobiles, high energy consumption &unbridled industrialization.

Despite all the Acts, Regulatory Agencies and enormous expenditure incurred, none of our Rivers&Lakes are nowhere near becoming clean. Water treatment & supply systems for urban drinking water, not to talk of the most neglected rural water supply systems, are still so rudimentary and inadequate even to get rid of bacteriological contamination. Even the bottled water marketed by some of the multinationals, is not entirely free from chemical contamination. Hard to imagine the chemical contamination levels of the drinking water supplied to Urban (India) and Rural (Bharat) communities.

The World Bank study in 1997 revealed that the largest share of the country’s economic costs of health & environmental degradation emerged from growing pollution of Water and Air, amounting to Rs.24,500 crores a year. Yet the finance minister had proclaimed that the country’s economic growth rate for the previous year was around 4%, ignoring the fact that the development had come at the cost of extensive environmental damage and high health costs to the people. The cost of Environmental Degradation, which was estimated to be around 4.5 % of GDP in 1992, makes the growth rate negative in real terms. Do we still call this Development / Growth, if so for Whom?

While the political leaders mouthed their rhetoric on Environmental Pollution Control and the lethargic populace slumbered in ignorance and indifference, our Air got dirtier and harmful to breath, our Water got polluted and unsafe to drink and our Land got contaminated and unsuitable for growing food items. The years of inaction is taking their toll. The Environment will continue to be a Non-Issue to the Politicians, making the bureaucrats insensitive & unresponsive to environmental issues, as long as the Voters do not assert themselves and make “Environment an Election Issue”.

National Level Issues

Some of the “Green Manifesto” issues to be considered by all the Political Parties as part of their “Election Manifesto 2014” are listed below:

1)The development of oil intensive automobile–centered Transportation System based on National Highway network is not a viable alternative, to well established energy efficient Railway Network and will not make “India Shine” on a sustainable basis. Rail Transportation should take precedence over Road Transportation for long distance haulage. The Personalized Motor transportation to bemade expensive and high priority to be given to clean, affordable and functional PUBLIC Transportation systems. The recommendation to scrap Commercial vehicles of over 15 years beimplemented, as the use of fuels like Diesel becomes very inefficient leading to higher loads of Air Pollution. The Coastal Shipping & Inland-water transportation to be given higher priority in the Planning and Budget allocations.

2) As the “Energy Efficiency” is the fastest growing source of energy, atthe least cost, the thrust and focus should be on “Energy Conservation”. To Encourage /Reward energy efficiency improvement rather than adding capacities at lower efficiencies.

3) Priority to be given for the use of energy from Renewable Sources (Not Nuclear),such as Solar PV & Thermal, Wind etc, instead of opting for new capacities based on Fossil Fuels, most of which being imported and likely to be depleted in not too distant a future. At least 20% of the total Electrical Energy requirements from Renewable Sources to be targeted by 2020.

4)The Acts and Laws for protection of Water Bodies- Rivers, Lakes etc -must be reviewed and strengthened for their strict implementation, with fast and stringent punishment for violations. The higher priority is to be given for decentralized Sewage Collection, Treatment and Disposal for ensuring accountability and to facilitate recycling of treated waters.

5) The strict implementation of “MSW Rules 2000” issued in compliance with Supreme Court Directive, regarding Collection, Transportation and Treatment / Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste be ensured in a given time frame

6) As Pollution Control Boards do not cover the environmental damage caused by agriculture run-off, aquaculture and many such activities, Central and State Pollution Control Boards should be reconstituted by a suitable Act of the Parliament, as "Environment Protection Authorities (EPAs)" at National and State levels, so as to cover all aspects of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, instead of confining to Water & Air Acts only

7) At present Central and State Pollution Control Boards, more or less function like the departments of respective governments. As a result they tend to bend backwards at times, to oblige unreasonable requests of their political bosses and superior officers. Also, they feel hesitant to initiate penal action against offending government agencies or departments. Their helplessness or inaction can be gauged from the number of interventions of the judiciary in the recent past. Therefore EPA should be made autonomous like Election Commission, CVC etc so as to ensure effective environmental protection and sustainable development by stringent enforcement of the Acts, Rules etc in force.

8)The Ministry of Environment be de-linked from Ministry of Forests and attached with Ministry of Science and Technology, if a separate Ministry cannot be formed. The Ministry should deal with policy matters only, leaving Regulation, Control, Monitoring etc to EPAs, in accordance with the Constitutional obligations and relevant Acts and Laws in force

9)Talking of environmental protection and pollution control in isolation, neglecting population growth control and land-use management, is nothing but chasing a mirage. Therefore for sustainable development, the National Policy for population growth control and well balanced Spatial Planning will have to be formulated and implemented as a forerunner

Conclusion

Which ever the party comes to power after the elections, will have to be answerable to the public, on the above and many more vital environmental issues adversely affecting their health and livelihood of people. The VOTER would like to know the views of different political parties, before HE or SHE decides to whom to vote to power.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Normally, the amount of food a given population- be it in a country, a region, or the world- needs is the product of two factors-numbers of people and the average food requirement per person. Unlike with many other forms of consumption, there are limits to the physical quantity of food that people can consume. The actual food consumption by the population is determined not only by its basic needs, but also by its income and dietary preferences.

This is particularly important in high-income countries, where the crops that could be consumed directly are instead fed to animals to produce eggs, meat and milk. Therefore the amount of food, a given population requires depends on food system efficiency, reflecting the extent to which food is spoiled or wasted in going from Farm to Mouth.

Disparities in Food Consumption

It is estimated that as many as 700 million people do not eat enough to live and work at their full potential. The average African is estimated to consume less than 90% of calories needed for a healthy productive life. On the other hand, the diets in many rich countries are so laden with animal fat as to cause high rates of heart diseases and cancer.

Moreover, the meat-intensive diets of the wealthy are known to usurp a disproportionately large share of the earth’s agriculture carrying capacity, since producing one kilogram of meat takes several kilograms of grain. If all people in the world required as much grain for their diet as the average American does, it is estimated that the global harvest would need to be about 2.5 times greater than it is today- a highly improbable scenario.

Food Production Limitations

If global population gets doubled by 2050, providing everyone with a rich and varied diet enjoyed by today’s wealthiest countries, we may require a tripling of food production. Alternatively, with improvement in food system -farm to mouth- efficiency, and adoption of a healthier diet in high-income countries, it may be possible to provide such a diet for the entire global population, with just a doubling of food production.

But even a doubling of current production could strain Earth’s ecosystems, as modern agriculture practices based on intensive use of land, energy, fertilizer and pesticides could jeopardize the health of the environment.The key questions are whether there would be enough Land and Water to produce the amount of food needed and whether technology could keep increasing the yield of food grains from the land.

Food Demand Management

The debate on food security focused on the potential for increasing the food production/ supply (Supply Syndrome like in all other sectors), but interestingly enough, little attention is being paid to the issue of food demand management, a cost effective, environment friendly and sustainable alternative. Like Energy & Water, Food can be conserved and the demand for it adjusted to meet human needs (not the greed) and lessen the burden that modern agriculture places on the environment. The demand for food supply can be curtailed by motivating changes of dietary preferences in rich countries, leading to food system efficiency – Farm to Mouth.

Imitation of Western Habits

India, with about 4 times the population and about one-fourth of the area of USA, cannot afford to indulge in extravagant & unsustainable food habits/ dietary practices, inherent with very poor food system efficiencies. As it is, around 42% of under-fives children in India are reported to be malnourished, despite impressive growth rate of country’s GDP.

BPL Beneficiaries & Delivery System

As per National Food Security Act being implemented, the Below Poverty Line (BPL) Census is the basis of identifying the beneficiaries at the village level. Depending upon the parameters to classify the BPL beneficiaries, the total number could be ranging anywhere between 30% and 60% of the total population coverage under the Act.

Many of the well-intended welfare schemes of Govt. do not seem to have the desired impact on the targeted BPL groups, due to lack of good Delivery System at Grass-Roots Levels of Villages. Because of political patronage, the key functionaries at grass roots levels seem to have become a law onto them, practically ignoring the writ of higher officials with impunity. As a result, the schemes get derailed without any accountability.

Conclusion

With a view to minimize inherent malady in the system, the realistic identification & recording of genuine BPL beneficiaries of food-security, ensuring good delivery system at grass roots levels & an effective supervisory and monitoring mechanism, need to be focused. The conservation of food grains by good post-harvest practices & storage systems to prevent avoidable wastage & prevention of contamination in supply chain need to be given priority. To prevent wastage at consumer end, the German example quoted below is an Eye-Opener:

"Order only what you can consume, to avoid wastage. Money may be yours but Resources belong to the Society. You have no right to waste resources. There are many others in the world who are facing shortage of resources.”

Thursday, January 30, 2014

The issue of food wastage and ostentatious behaviour has been the subject of discussion for reducing food wastage at weddings and social gatherings.The estimated food wastage at social gatherings to the extent of 15-20 per cent, is nothing but a "Criminal Act" because there are still some percentage of population who get only one meal a day and none at all. There is an urgent need to launch a campaign to curb this wasteful luxury.

German Experience

The extract from the experiences of an Indian student during his study trip to Germany is reproduced below:

Germany is a highly industrialized country. It produces top brands like Benz, BMW, Siemens etc. IN such a country, many will think its people lead a luxurious life. At least that was my impression before my study trip.

When I arrived at Hamburg, my colleagues who work in Hamburg arranged a welcome party for me in a restaurant. As we walked into the restaurant, we noticed that a lot of tables were empty. There was a table where a young couple was having their meal. There were only two dishes and two cans of beer on the table. I wondered if such simple meal could be romantic, and whether the girl will leave this stingy guy.

There were a few old ladies on another table. When a dish is served, the waiter would distribute the food for them, and they would finish every bit of the food on their plates.

We did not pay much attention to them, as we were looking forward to the dishes we ordered. As we were hungry, our local colleague ordered more food for us.

As the restaurant was quiet, the food came quite fast. Since there were other activities arranged for us, we did not spend much time dining. When we left, there was still about one third of unconsumed food on the table.

When we were leaving the restaurant, we heard someone calling us. Wenoticed the old ladies in the restaurant were talking about us to the restaurant owner. When they spoke to us in English, we understood that they were unhappy about us wasting so much food. We immediately felt that they were really being too busybody. “We paid for our food, it is none of your business how much food we left behind," my colleague told the old ladies.

The old ladies were furious. One of them immediately took her hand phoneout and made a call to someone. After a while, a man in uniform claimed to be an officer from the Social Security organization arrived. Upon knowing what the dispute was, he issued us a 50 Mark fine. We all kept quiet. The local colleague took out a 50 Mark note and repeatedly apologized to the officer.

The officer told us in a stern voice, “ORDER WHAT YOU CAN CONSUME, MONEY IS YOURS BUT RESOURCES BELONG TO THE SOCIETY. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS IN THE WORLD WHO ARE FACING SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES. YOU HAVE NOREASONTO WASTE RESOURCES.”

Our face turned red. We all agreed with him in our hearts. The mindset of people of this rich country put all of us to shame. WE REALLY NEED TO REFLECT ON THIS. We are from country which is not very rich in resources. To save face, we order large quantity and also waste food when we give others a treat. THIS LESSON TAUGHT US A LESSON TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT CHANGING OUR BAD HABITS.

My colleague Photostatted the fine ticket and gave a copy to each of us as a souvenir. All of us kept it and pasted on our wall to remind us that we shall never be wasteful.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Every one talks of "Throwing Away" the items that have been considered to be no longer useful or needed. Like wrappers, plastic bags, pieces of paper, empty bottles/ jars / cans, used electronic/ electrical items, clothes & other items in use of daily life, the kitchen waste, left overs of food etc. It is called Waste, Garbage, Trash, Refuse, Junk, Rubbish, Scrap etc. One, who carelessly throws things that are considered to be of no use, causes Littering.

The nature takes care of Waste material what is natural ( Biodegradable or Wet Garbage).What we really need to worry about is all that waste ( Non- Degradable or Dry Garbage) created by manmade items. A product does not create waste only when it is thrown away. No matter how small, each manmade item leaves behind a trail of wastes at every stage of its life – as its raw materials are sourced, as it is produced, packaged, transported, consumed and finally discarded/ thrown away.

Garbage Bag indicator of Life Styles

From the scrutiny of type and quantity of garbage generated by a family, one can find out more about the lifestyles / habits of the family – what they drink, eat and waste – than they themselves. The cans / tins, the bottles / jars, the foils, cellophane, the packaged goods with more packaging than what is within, hardly used toys,electronic gadgets & accessories, left overs of foods / snacks of the kids' dinners etc. that are thrown "Away" as waste, are indicative of wasteful nature of their lifestyles, mind-setsand habits.

A lot of that they "Through Away" is because they don't know that much of the stuff is not really needed and has nowhere to go. But they keep buying things they don't always need and resort to throwing them, not thinking where all they end up, just leaving it to luck.

Recycle & Reuse

Most of the items being thrown away by many of the households as waste consist of Paper, Plastic Bags, Packing Material, Foils, used Aluminium Cans, Glass / Plastic Containers, Electrical / Electronic items etc. (Dry Waste) do not get easily or naturally destroyed and would remain just the same for years. As all these items can be Recycled for salvaging and making new products with value addition, they should not be subjected to "Throw Away" and find their way into Dust Bins / Garbage Cans.

All the News Papers, old Note Books & Magazines and used paper should be neatly stacked and stored for selling once a month or so. Similarly, the Plastic Bags, Packing Material, Empty Bottles, Jars & Cans and all other Dry Waste material, instead of putting into the dust bin,should be stored separately in a gunny sack or any other container and handed over once in a fortnight /month to the Person picking up the garbage from the households. The electrical / electronic wastes should be deposited at the designated centres for the purpose. Only the biodegradable wet garbage – Kitchen wastes- should be handed over for daily collection.

Thus the volume of domestic garbage being picked up daily and transported over long distances can be brought down considerably. This also avoids transportation of volumes instead of weight, at heavy costs.

To the extent possible the used items such as glass bottles, jars etc. may be Reused for storing spice powders, nails & pins etc. Even with "Recycling" and "Reuse", there is far too much Waste generation that has no final "Away" to disappear into. What can we do about it?

Reduce

Let us think of the contents of our dustbin and how to avoid some of them & where the others should go and not just thrown away? We must try and stop / reduce waste generation from happening in the first place.by thinking about what we buy and use even before we begin. Do we always really need all that we buy? Even after we buy, what do we get? Packing – all kinds, fancy and fun paper, plastic, cellophane, Styrofoam, foil-layer upon layer, just waiting to be peeled off and thrown away. Are we optimizing the use of what we have and what we consume, before buying new ones or acquiring additional ones? Why not we try to Reduce what we buy and what we use and to be thrown away in the first place?

Think before you Throw Away

Finished with the Chips? Throw away the packet. Toothpaste over? Throw away the Tube. Ballpen won't write? Chuck it away. Then what? Where does it all go?Waste just cannot go away or disappear. It just turns up again – on someone else's doorstep or garden. Why not we think before we throw?

*If we don't need something, it might be still be useful to someone. Give old books, old toys and old cloths to someone who can use them

*Try finding another use for what you plan to throw. A pencil holder from a can………..The possibilities are endless.

*Last but not the least; why not try to Reduce, what you buy in the first place?

There is No "AWAY" & Throwing is "No Way"

The fact of life is that all we "Through Away" as waste, ends up ultimately polluting Air, Water &Soil adversely affecting the very "Food Cycle" and Quality of our lives. That is where this "AWAY" ends up finally. The Waste cannot be wished away, because there isn't an "AWAY"

Let us pledge to cut down on Waste, right at the Roots and enter into

3 R Pact – Recycle, Reuse and Reduce

Please Carry A "BAG" (Jute/Cloth). Do not bring A "Carry Bag" (Plastic)

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The critical problems being faced by Electrical Energy Consumers in the country are a) Non Availability of assured power supply, b) Poor Quality of power supply and c) High Tariff electrical energy. The widening gap between Supply and Demand contributes to a) and b) above.

As the increase of generating capacities is an expensive and time consuming option, efforts should be made to supress the demand which is cost effective and faster, so to minimize the gap between Supply and Demand

Supress Demand

The demand can be supressed by adopting energy efficient lighting and other electrical appliances / devices, by avoiding lights and fans in day time to the extent possible by making use of natural light and ventilation and avoiding wastage of electrical energy by switching off the devices / appliances when not in use and not required.

The electrical energy efficiency can be promoted by encouraging the use of LED Tube lights / Bulbs, 5 Star Rated Fans and other appliances by reducing or waiving of the local taxes and /or offering suitable one time subsidies for the energy efficient products. There is enough scope for saving energy by judicial management in Govt. Offices and Buildings in particular, in addition to Street Lighting.

Solar PV Power

The use of Renewable Sources of energy namely Solar PV Power by all the consumers in excess of say 1000 units or so per month, to the extent of 25% of annual consumption be made mandatory. This may require the clearance by the State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERC). Other consumers may be encouraged to opt for Roof-Top Solar PV Systems with Net-Metering facility and Solar Water Heating Systems by offering suitable one time incentives such as waiver of local taxes and / or State Subsidies in addition to the subsidies offered by MNRE, GOI.

Conclusion

The continuing subsidy offered by way of reduction of electrical Power Tariff fixed by SERC, will involve the reimbursement of the difference to the Distribution Company by the State Govt. As the subsidised power may lead to wastage in the consumption of electrical energy, further increasing the gap between Demand and Supply, it may be worthwhile to consider the promotion of energy efficiency by one time subsidy and supress the demand .

One unit of energy saved is equal to more than one unit generated. The Energy Efficiency is cheaper and faster than any other source of energy generation.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Water
Metering Miracles?

We all are aware what “Metering” can do and its
significance. We face metering every day in some form or other. The Electricity
metering, Auto Rickshaw metering ,Taximeteringandweusetheseserviceswiththoughtandconcern astheimpactinmonetary termsis directand immediate.

Metering
& Waste Reduction

In Tarnaka, Hyderabad in an Upper Middle Class
apartment complex with 32 families, there was always a shortage of Water and
the residents of the complex were incurring heavy expenditure for getting water
by tankers. The residents decided to introduce water meters for each apartment
(Flat) in addition to the Metro Water
meter for bulk supply to the apartment complex,in order to monitor
actual consumption by each apartment. It was also decided to charge the residents
of each Flat, for excess consumption recorded in the meter, over and
above the base limit mutually agreed and fixed.

Lo and behold….there was No shortage of water
which was earlier wasted due to lack of concern and monitoring. The same quantum of water which was received
earlier from Metro Water Supply is now adequate to meet the requirements of all
the apartments, as water is being used with care and concern to minimize the
monitory impact.

A small step of water metering made life
comfortable for 32 families and brought in a big impact in consciousness about
water conservation. Avoided the need to purchase additional water by tankers
(about 20 Tankers costing around Rs 8000 per month) and the attitudinal change
towards Scarce Resource
Conservation.

Hyderabad Metro Water Board struggling
to Stay Afloat

Hyderabad
Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) is reported to be on
the verge of financial breakdown with its deficit rising every month. Its
revenue is estimated to be Rs.63 Crore per month while its overheads run into
Rs.93 Crore, leaving a shortfall of Rs.30 Crore every month.

The
Water Board seems to be looking for the Govt. clearance to increase the water
tariff or for financial support by way of grants to bridge the increasing gap.
Both these options are likely to burden the consumer/ citizen who is already
overburdened. The right approach for the Water Board is to maximize the revenue
by plugging the water pilferage/ leakages / wastages.

Metering & Water Balancing

The
basic approach is to meter, account and monitor every liter of water, in the
entire supply chain right from the
Reservoir to the Consumer end, covering the quantity of water billed, supplied
free, lost in leakages, pilferage etc. This can be achieved by
installing reliable and tamper proof Water Meters at all stages of water supply system ensuring every water supply
connection, including free water supply, has a meter, which needs to be
maintained in good order.

This will enable accurate “Water Balancing/Accounting” at all stages of water supply and
distribution systems, eliminating/minimizingunauthorized connections, pilferage, malpractices etc.and bringing accountability for every
Ltr. of water being supplied fromthe
Reservoir. Thus Water Board will be able to improve the efficiency of water
supply and distribution systems for maximizing the revenue without the need to
increase the tariff.

How
Much Water do we need?

Anaverage urban middle classfamilyof5, havingmostof
the White Goodslike WashingMachines, hotwaterheaters, grinders etc,
consumes around 1500 Ltrs. per day, working out to 300 Liters Per Day(LPD) per head.This Urban usage/wastage of 300 LPD is a real
Luxury, when compared tomost rural people make do with20 to 30 LPD.

Do
you Know?

It requires about 2000 to 3000 Liters of Water
to grow Paddy required forOne Kilo
Gram of Rice

If 10 Grams of Riceis wasted.,about20to30
Liters of water is beingwasted…therequirementof Water per day for
oneperson in Rural area/ Urban slum.

Water is too Precious to be Wasted.
Conserve Water- Save Life ______________________________________________________________

The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on Thermal Power Projects in its 24 th meeting held on 2-3 May 2011 recommended that that the Ministry may rescind the stop work order issued on March 01, 2011, at the proposed power plant site of Bhavanapadu 2640 MW TPP of ECEPL at Kakarapalli, since at this stage, a zero base level assessment of the project is not a feasibility.

Reject Recommendation of EAC and Cancel EC

In accordance with Sub- Para 8 (vi) of EIA Notification, the deliberate concealment and/or submission of false or misleading information or data which is material to screening or scoping or appraisal or decision on the application shall make the application liable for rejection, and cancellation of prior environmental clearance granted on that basis.

It is therefore requested that the recommendation of EAC be rejected outright and the E.C granted to Bhavanapadu 2640 MW TPP of ECEPL at Kakarapalli, be cancelled by MOEF, after giving a personal hearing to the project proponent and following the principles of natural justice, based on the following facts & ground realities::

a) The NEAA in its Order dated 30-8-2010 observed that various reports including that of sub-committee of EAC were found to be incorrectand EAC and in turn the MOEF has relied on these reports for granting Environmental Clearance(EC) for the project.

b) The NEAA also observed that as stated by the expert of BHNS and agreed by Dr.Kaul, a renowned expert on Wetlands, elevation of the project site by the project proponent, after the grant of EC nearly a year ago, has caused irreversible changes in the character of

the ecologically important wetland

c) In the 17 th Meeting of the Standing Committee of National Board for Wild Life held on 22-12-2009, under the Chairmanship of the Minister for E&F, the site inspection report of Dr.Asad Rahmani and Dr, Asha Rajvanshi had clearly stated that Naupada Swampsarea was an excellent habitat for Migratory Birds and was classified as IBAS. It also stated that the entire area of the project, starting from approach road to the project site is marshy land and the EIA Report of the applicant ignored Bio diversity of the area.

d) AP High Court, while dismissing WP NO..9360/2009 observed that " A plain reading of the reproduction from the counter of the Respondent - State makes it clear that clearance was granted by the State after due deliberation and application of mind"---"It isamply clear that the Power Project area is not part of Naupada Swamp and as such bereft of any ecological importance" This isfar from the facts and the ground realities

About Me

Born in 1929, graduated in Electrical Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai (Madras), India in 1952. Joined Indian Navy in 1953, awarded Visista Seva Medal (VSM) and prematurely retired in 1975, in the Rank of Captain.
After retirement engaged in Industrial activities for about 20 years.Since 1995, engaged in Social and Community activities highlighting the adverse social and environmental impacts of Development Activities being undertaken without proper appraisal evaluation and assessment. Also associated with propagation of Sustainable Development and Resource Conservation.